How Long do Pugs Live? – Pug Life Expectancy

Pug life expectancy is not the easiest topic to talk about. When you become a pug owner, the dog becomes an important family member, and talking about their death can be a bit morbid. But here it is, for those considering of buying a pug, or those new pug owners, this information can come very useful.

The average pug dog life expectancy range is between 12 and 15 years in dog years. According to a report by the Kennel Club, which had a total sample of 200 approx, the most common age that pugs live for is 13.

How long do pugs live in human years?

But what is this in human years, meaning what ages would these numbers mean if they were humans? Obviously, they’ll never become humans in reality but you can get the idea of whether they are considered senior or adult.

Anyway, the 13-year-old dog age is equivalent of 68 years old in human years.

Causes of death for Pugs

Other major causes include collapse, liver failure, internal bleeding, gastrointestinal and hepatic.

Average age for different Causes of death for a pug

Each pug death cause has different average age. Below, listed is the life expectancy age range and median age at death from some of the most common causes, according to the Kennel Club research.

Cause of Death

Death Age Range

Median Age

Old Age

10 – 17 Years Old—

13 Years Old—

Cancer

4 – 13 Years Old—

10 Years Old—

Cardiac

8 – 15 Years Old—

11 Years Old—

Neurolog

2 – 15 Years Old

8 Years Old

Male and female pug life expectancy

Female pugs have slightly longer life expectancy than males, although not always. This tends to be not just pugs, but also across all dog breeds, according to Steven N. Austad PhD who is the professor and chairman of Biology of Aging and the Evolution of Live Histories Department at University of Alabama at Alabama.

Is it true that black and fawn pugs have different life span?

The simple answer to this question is No. The colour of dog hair should not have any impact at all to how long pugs will live.

How long do healthy pugs live for?

In some cases, healthy pugs can live for a lot longer. Pugs can be kept healthy by, for instance, feeding them high quality food, regular exercise to keep them in good weight, keeping them clean to avoid or minimise any infection, and generally keeping a healthy life style.

Shirley Thomas, the founder of Pug Dog Club of Greater New York Inc, and also the author of The New Pug (who sadly passed away in 2013), had a pug that was 20 years old. What’s more, we have known quite a few pugs that lived until the age of 15, 16 and 17.

This is Rhi’s pug, Jilly that lived until the age of 18. (Right) “She went blind & deaf in the end, and lost control of her bladder. She slept downstairs but one night I knew she wasn’t ‘right’ so put her bed in my bedroom, her breathing was laboured and I was holding her telling her it was okay to go but she wouldn’t. I put her in her bed and wrapped her in her blanket, when I woke up she’d gone. She didn’t want to go in front of me.”

Fat and obese pug life expectancy

It is so easy for pugs to become couch potatoes – those just want to eat and sleep all day by their owners, not wanting to go for walks. This can lead to them becoming over-weight and obese.

Obese pugs are more likely to develop a number of problems such as, breathing difficulties, heart problems and others. These conditions can lead to higher chances of having shorter life expectancy, so it’s so important that health is one of the things you should focus on with your pug for longer life span.

Life expectancy for a pug with Pug Dog Encephalitis (PDE)

PDE is a mysterious disease specific to pug dogs. What makes this so mysterious is that no one knows what causes it and what’s scarier is there is currently no cure for PDE. We look more into this subject in the pug health problems section.

Pug Dog Encephalitis typically strike at between the age of two and three. Some studies show young female fawn pugs, under the age of three are at most risk.

Life expectancy for pugs with diabetes

When monitored, treated and cared for properly, diabetic pugs should live normal and happy life like every other pug. This means life expectancy for pugs with diabetes should be the same as the ones without.

It is, therefore, a huge myth that the pug’s lifespan will be decreased by pug diabetes. However, if not controlled, other health problems may be developed and as a result, a pug’s lifespan may be shortened.